RAW

• Patterns of text development

  Methods of organization that a writer uses to organize his/her ideas about a topic depending on a specific purpose
• Patterns of development


  • Narration
  • Classification
  • Comparison and contrast
  • Description
  • Cause and effect
  • Persuasion
  • Example
  • Definition
  • Problem & solution
• Narration


  Tells a story and explains how something happens
• Classification


  Explains a subject by dividing into types or categories
• Comparison and contrast


  Explains how two subjects are similar or different
• Description


  Describes a person, thing, place or situation
• Cause and effect


  Explains the reason (causes) why something happened and describes the result (effect) of an event, action, or condition
• Persuasion


  Tries to persuade the reader to accept your point of view or even change his/her point of view
• Example


  Makes a point about a topic by providing example to support it
• Definition


  Explains what something is in comparison to other members of its class, along with any limitations
• Problem & solution


  Identifies a problem and proposes one or more solutions
• Properties of a well-written text

  • Language use (choice of words)
  • Mechanics (capitalization, punctuation, spelling, grammar, etc.)
  • Coherence and cohesion (connection of ideas)
  • Organization (clear and logical pattern)
• Formal language


  Used in writing academic, business, and official texts, uses more serious words, does not use contraction
• Formal language


  • We requested that the secretary contact the professor and obtain her permission for us to continue our research
• Informal language


  Usually used in writing for oneself or in writing to family, friends, and colleagues, uses casual words, uses contraction
• Informal language


  • We asked the secretary to call the professor and get her permission for us to continue our research
• You have to level your vocabulary words to the background of your audience, use precise and simple words and avoid cliché
• Cliché vs simple vocabulary


  • She was hit by a car and was hanging in a thin red line at the hospital
  • She was hit by a car and was critical at the hospital
• Avoid wordiness, redundancy and highfalutin language, be direct to the point
• Wordiness vs concise


  • Image is a very important factor in politics because once the reputation of a person is smeared by accusations, the people's perception of the person is forever tainted and it may cause him to lose credibility and trust even when the truth behind allegations is no yet verified
  • Image is a very important factor in politics. Once the reputation of a person is smeared by accusations, the people's perception of the person is forever tainted. The person may lose his credibility, even when the allegations are not yet verified
• Avoid excessive use of "there" and "it" structures
• "There" and "it" structures


  • There are many people walking on this street during Sundays. It is important to keep your valuables close to you
  • Many people walk on this street during Sundays. Keeping your valuables close to you is important
• Use consistent point of view throughout your text
• Inconsistent vs consistent point of view


  • We should accept that fate is simply an illusion; you must not leave our decisions to something that does not exist
  • We should accept that fate is simply an illusion; we must not leave our decisions to something that does not exist
• Use unbiased language that is free of racial, religious, and gender bias
• Biased vs unbiased language

  • Every employee should submit his credentials
  • All employees should submit their credentials
• Mechanics


  The technical aspect of writing and is characterized as a set of conventions on how to spell, abbreviate, punctuate, and capitalize a composition
• Avoid switching between American and British English, avoid contractions in formal writing
• Mention the full name of an institution or organization with the abbreviation in parenthesis, in first mention
• Punctuation marks guide the reader how they should read a certain text
• Capitalization may probably the simplest and easiest thing to do in checking the mechanics of your written text, but because this is the most basic, it is easy to neglect
• Coherence


  Ideas are connected at the conceptual or idea level, seen through well-defended arguments and organized points
• Cohesion


  Connection of ideas at the sentence level, seen in the smooth flow of the sentences and the connection of the ideas
• Text organization


  The way a text is organized that helps to guide the reader logically through it, makes a text readable and its message clear, achieved when ideas are logically and accurately arranged
• Techniques for text organization

  • Physical format
  • Signal words
  • Structure (introduction, body, conclusion)
• Implicit


  Implied, suggested, indirect
• Explicit


  Clearly stated, direct
• Claim


  A central idea, what the writer tries to prove in the text by providing details, and other types of evidence, a sentence that summarizes the most important thing that the writer wants to say as a result of his/her thinking, reading, or writing
• Characteristics of a good claim

  • Argumentative and debatable
  • Interesting, engaging and logical
  • Specific and focused
• Claim of facts


  Asserts that a condition existed, exists, or will exist and are based on facts or data